Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains a formidable problem in the healthcare setting and there is much left to learn regarding the biology of this troublesome pathogen. This special section in this issue of the Journal contains a range of papers covering the epidemiology, treatment, and costs of CDI. Individual cases and outbreaks come at considerable cost to institutions, with the subset of patients who fail to respond to conventional antibiotic therapy presenting an even greater morbidity risk and cost largely due to increased length of stay

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, SSIs constitute a financial burden and negatively impact on patient quality of life (QoL).

Conclusion: Disparate reporting of SSIs makes direct cost comparisons difficult, however this review indicated that SSIs are extremely costly. Thus, rigorous procedures must be implemented to minimise SSIs. More economic and QoL studies are required to make accurate cost estimates and understand the true burden of SSIs.